Cilantro Chicken with Pickled Tomato and Avocado Salsa

*Post by Angela.

One of the many reasons I could never cook in a restaurant environment? Lack of plate aesthetic. Most of the time, our home meals look so messy, it's hard to believe they taste good. But they usually do. Like this recipe, which we ate as a main along with our quinoa fritters a few weeks ago. It looks like a wreck on a plate, but I love the bright flavors. And while it's got a lot of ingredients, it's actually pretty easy to throw together.

Ingredients for the salsa:

• 1 pound medium beefsteak-type tomatoes, quartered and seeded
• 2 serrano chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 firm-ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

After I had prepped the tomatoes, I combined them with the chiles and green onions in a large bowl.

I brought the vinegar to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, bring vinegar to a boil, added the brown sugar and salt and cooked, stirring, until dissolved, about 1 minute, then I turned the heat off and let it sit.

In another saucepan, I heated the oil over medium-high heat, then added the ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, pepper, cumin, cayenne, and turmeric  and cooked, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. I turned off the heat, stirred in the vinegar mixture, and poured it over the tomatoes.

Once I had let the tomatoes cool down a little, I covered them and chilled them in the fridge for about 3 hours (needs at least 1 hour of chill time).  About an hour before dinner, I cut up the avocados and threw them in, tossing well, and left the completed salsa out to come to room temp.

Ingredients for the chicken:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, lightly pounded so that they are the same thickness 

Around that same time I added the avocados to the salsa, I combined ¼ cup of the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper, whisked it together and then poured it over the chicken, making sure the meat was evenly coated. I let the chicken stand at room temp, covered, for about 40 minutes.

Once I was ready to cook, I shook the excess marinade off the chicken and cooked it up in a pan over medium heat until cooked through (about 15 minutes). I served the chicken with the salsa spooned over top.

This tasted great: tart, a little sweet, herby and light. I'm sure I could have put some time into making this look prettier, but after making the quinoa fritters, too, I just didn't have the energy. And when you're talking about home meals, looks aren't everything...  

Grilled Avocado, Corn, and Romaine Salad with Chipotle Lime Dressing

*Post by Angela.

We haven't had a recipe post in what seems like forever. Is that because we've been neglecting our kitchen, spending our evenings eating food made by other people? Not entirely. Mostly it's just because the things we've been making at home aren't all that exciting. But this? This simple recipe is as exciting as it gets, and is the perfect summer recipe to boot. While the ideal way to make this delightful salad is on the grill, we were able to execute an incredibly addicting version using just our little grill pan.

List of ingredients:

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup good extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo
• Salt & pepper
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 ears corn, shucked
• 2-3 medium avocados, ripe, but still a little firm
• 1 head romaine (1 lb), cut into 1" strips

First I prepped the dressing by pouring the parmesan into a medium-sized bowl and slowly adding the olive oil, whisking until well-combined. I whisked in the lime juice, garlic, chipotles, and salt and pepper to taste, then set the dressing aside.

Next, I cut the avocados in half and removed the pit from each, leaving the peel on. I rubbed the cut side of each half with vegetable oil and sprinkled it with a bit of salt. I also rubbed the ears of corn with vegetable oil and sprinkled with salt. I heated the grill pan over medium heat and threw on the avocados (cut side down) and corn. I cooked, turning the ears of corn, until the avocados had grill marks and the corn was golden brown, about 4-5 minutes for the avocado, about 5-7 minutes for the corn.

I peeled the avocados and thinly sliced them, and cut the kernels of corn off the cob into a bowl. I tossed the romaine with the dressing and corn, then topped it with slices of avocado.

This salad is awesome. While grilled avocado and corn are delicious on their own, the dressing is what really kicks the dish up a notch - the smoky tangy flavor is fantastic.